Yusuf Bello| The House of Representatives on Tuesday shut down a bill seeking to alter the tenure of presidents, governors, state and federal lawmakers, and other public officials to a single term of six years.
The bill, sponsored by John Dyegh (APC, Benue), faile to make it for the second reading as majority of the lawmakers voted against.
Fiest to ick against the bill was Haruna Bello (APC, Kano) who said the bill could be easily interpreted as a move to extend the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Bello said, “By the time you allow the room for six years, you will shut down the door for appraisal of someone’s term after four years. We should maintain our four years.”
Henry Archibong (PDP, Akwa Ibom) while calling for the rejection of the bill, said focus should be on improving the country’s electoral process.
He asked, “How can we make electoral processes and elections credible and less expensive.?” “This is the issue we ought to address and not the number of terms.”
Yusuf Gagdi, the lawmaker representing Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency, Plateau State, argued argued for the retention of the current system of two four-year terms for the president and governors.
Gadi said, “You cannot ask the president to perform a six-year tenure and expect a good performance.
“Our problem is our inability to respect our rules. Our democracy does not need six-year single term for the executive.”
“What it needs it to maintain what is in place for the executive and national assembly. What we need is to improve our elections and ensure we have a system that will not fail Nigerians.”
Some lawmakers were, however, in support of the bill.
After the debate, Idris Wase, the Deputy Speaker of the House, who presided over the plenary, put the bill to a voice vote. More voices rejected the bill.
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